SD57: New York State tick blitz: Harnessing community-based science to understand range expansion of ticks

Volunteers were recruited from Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Master Gardener, Master Naturalist programs and the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management. We provided informational seminars to educate the volunteers about ticks and describe the methods. Collection kits consisting of the required tools for tick collection and storage, personal protective equipment, educational materials, and field collection sheets were sent to volunteers. Volunteers collected ticks in June during the peak season for the desired tick species.
During the first year of the program in 2021, volunteers from 14 counties performed collections at 169 sites, capturing 3,760 ticks. H. longicornis was identified in Putnam County for the first time. Results support the presence of established H. longicornis populations in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Suffolk, and Richmond Counties of NYS. A. americanum is established in highly populated Suffolk and Richmond counties. A post tick blitz survey provided positive feedback from volunteers including their interest in contributing to meaningful science, understanding where ticks were in their neighborhoods, and being outdoors. In 2022 and 2023, the NYS Tick Blitz involved more community volunteers and collections were conducted in the same 14 counites and expanded into additional NYS counties.